Automatic valve-controller



Ikrazgze W. H. KILBOURN. AUTOMATIC VALVE CONTROLLER.

i UNITED STATES FATENT OFFICE.

VASHINGTON H. KILBOU-RN, OF GREENFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO J. A. SPALDING, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

AUTOMATIC VALVE-CONTROLLER.

eS'PECIEICATION forming part of Letters 'Patent No. 470,143, dated March 1, 1892. Appiimtion ned December 18,1890. sannita. 375,106. (Nomad.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WASHINGTON H. KIL- BOURN, a citizen of Greenfield, in the county of Franklin and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Attachments for Steam-Engines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improved attachment for steam-engines, its object being to produce improved means whereby the heads of the cylinder shall be preventedfrom blowing out in case an undue amount of pressure shall be brought to bear thereon from any cause.

A further object is to provide devices connected with the cylinder of a steam-engine and with the source of power thereof, whereby an undue amount of pressure in the cylinder will be caused to actuate said devices to cut off the source of power, and thus prevent trouble and damage to machinery from an overflow of water from a boiler to the cylinder. v

A further object is to provide a steam-engine cylinder with devices adapted to be actuated by undue pressure in the cylinder and to so connect said devices by electric circuits with a stop mechanism that when there is undue pressure in the cylinder said electric circuit will be manipulated vand the stop mechanism actuated to stop the machinery by shutting off the source of power.

A further obj ect is to produce improved devices for the purpose stated, which shall be simple in construction, easy of application, and effectual in the performance of their functions.

Vith these objects in View the invention consists in the co1nbination,with a steam-engine cylinder, of devices connected thereto for manipulating an electric circuit when an excessive pressure exists in the cylinder, and stop mechanism included in the electric vcircuit.

It further consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, as hereinafter set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a diagrammatic view illustrating my invention. Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view of the 55 devices attached to the cylinder. Fig. 3 is a modification of the devices shown in Fig. 2.

A represents a steam-engine cylinder having perforations in its heads for the reception of hollow castings or sleeves a, said castings 6o or sleeves being provided on their exteriorwith screw-threads to mesh with similar screwthreads in theperforations in the heads of the cylinder. Each casting a is closed at one end b and open at the other end,the open end being adapted to communicate with the interior of the cylinder, and at a point between its ends is provided interiorly with a disk c, which may be yintegral with the sleeve or shell a, as shown in Fig. 2, or said disk may be 7o made separate and a set-screw d provided, wherebyit may be adj usted, as shown in Fig. 3.

Located in the sleeve or casing a, preferably in proximity to its inner end, is a disk e, adapted to have a sliding movement therein and fit steam-tight, Asaid disk e being -main-` tained normally at the inner extremity of its throw by means of a coiled spring f, which bears at one end against said disk andl at the other end against the disk c. Secured to the 8o disk e, and passing loosely through a perforationin the disk c, is a rod g, adapted to make contact with and electrically connect two pins or screws g g2, passed through the walls of the shell or casting a, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. 85 If desired to ladjust the device for cylinders capable of withstanding different pressures, the force of the springf may be varied by means of the set-screw d.

The contact pins or screws g g2 may be 9o connected in circuit with a battery and an electric stop mechanism of any preferred construction, the construction shown in the drawings being shown by way of illustration. In this stop mechanism l represents the stein of the throttle-valve of a steam-engine on which a drum 2 is located. Mounted in a suitable casing 8 is a rotary engine 4, which is included in the circuit of a pipe 5, through which steam is made to pass in the direction roo of the arrowin Fig. l, said pipe being provided with a valve 6. The journal of the enginetis provided with a drum 7. Passing over the drums 2 and 7, and coiled one or more times around each of these drums to preventvslipping, is a crossed cord or wire S. From this construction it will be seen that when the rotary engine is' turned the stem of the throttle-valve will be turned also and said valve closed. The stem 9 of the valve G is provided with an arm 10, to the free end of which a bar 11, preferably of metal, is pivoted. said bar being provided at its free end with a hook 12. Located in proximity to the hooked end of the bar 11 is an electro-magnet18, to the armature 14 of which an arm 15 is attached. Pivoted to the free end of the arm 15 is an arm 1G, and to the free end of the latter an arm 1G is pivoted and made to extend through an opening in the casing 17. The arm 1G is adapted to engage the hook 12, and thusnormally sustain the bar 11, said bar being prevented from undue lateral movement by a spring 1S. A short arm 19 projects from the stem 9 of valve G at an obtuse angle to the arm 10, and to this short arm 19 a rod or bar 20, preferably of wood, is pivotally connected, said rod or bar 20 extending downwardly in close proximity to the valve-stem 1, Where it is provided with a shoulder 21, having inclined faces 22 23. Instead of making the bar 11 of metal and the rod or bar 2O of wood, both may be made of wood or metal, care being taken to make the bar 11 thicker or heavier than the rod or bar 20, so that the former will overbalance the latter when released. The valve-stem 1 is provided, preferably, at the inner end of the drum 2 with a lug or projection 24, which, when the stem 1 is rotated to close the valve, will engage the shoulder 21 and actuate the rod 20, said rod in turn drawing down the arm 19 and thus closing the valve 6. At the same operation the arm 10 and bar 11 will be elevated and the hook 12 made again to engage the arm 1G. Suppose now that the throttlevalve is open and the engine is Working and there is an undue pressure in the cylinder A from any cause, the disk f will be forced forward, carrying with itthe rod g, which latter will make contact with the contact pins or screws g g2 and electrically connect them, whereupon the circuit will be closed (or opened, as the case may be) and the stop mechanism caused to operate to shut off the source of power, and consequently the supply of steam to the cylinder.

The stop mechanism operates as follows: When the circuit including the electro-niagnet 13 is closed, as above explained, the armature 14 will be attracted and the arm 16a Withdrawn, thus releasing the bar 11, the spring 1S serving to maintain the bar 11 in an upright position and preventing it from falling down or limiting its lateral movement. Said spring maintains the bar 11 at the proper distance from the casing which contains the electro-magnetic devices, so that when the bar 1Gn is withdrawn to release the bar 11 the latter will not tend to follow the movement of the bar 16, but will be prevented from such movement by the spring 1S, and thus the bar 11 will be quickly released from the bar 16% The bar 11 being heavier than the rod 20, it will drop when released by the arm 16, and thus turn the stem 9 of the throttle-valve through the medium of the arm 10, and thus open the valve 6. The valve 6 being now open, steam will be permitted to pass to the rotary engine 4 and operate it. The motion of the rotary engine 4 will be transmitted through the medium of a crossed belt 8 to the stem of the throttle-valve and rotate said stem to close said throttle-valve, and thus shut off the supply of steam to the engine which the throttle-valve controls. During the revolution of the stem 1 of the throttle-valve the projection 24 will engage the shoulder 21 of the rod 2O and reset the stop mechanism and4 close the valve G. VThus it will be seen that the cylinder being relieved of pressure the tendency which might otherwise exist to blow the head of the cylinder off will be obviated.

I do not in this specification claim the stop mechanism herein described and shown, as that is covered by my patent, No. 457,837, dated August 1S, 1891.

Slight changes might be made to the details of construction of my invention without departing from the spirit thereof or limiting its scope. Hence I do not wish to limit myself to the precise details of construction herein set forth; but,

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In apparatus for preventing a cylinderhead of a steam-engine blowing out by overpressure, the combination, with the cylinder, a throttle-valve, stop mechanism connected with said throttle-valve and adapted to open and close it, and electrical devices for controlling said stop mechanism, of devices in the head of the cylinder included in electric circuit With said electrical devices and con# structed and arranged in such manner that an undue pressure in the cylinder will cause them to operate to manipulate said circuit to operate the stop mechanism, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with an engine-cylinder and an electric stop mechanism, of a sleeve or casting passing through an opening in the cylinder-head, a disk secured in said sleeve, a movable disk also in the sleeve, a spring interposed between said disks, a rod secured to the movable disk and passing through the fixed disk, contact-points projecting through the walls of the sleeve or casting and adapted to be connected by said rod, and an electric circuit, including the contactpoints and controlling a stop mechanism, sub"- stantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

VASHINGTON Il. KILBOURN.

Witnesses:

IV. F. WEST, 11. A. GALLUP.

IDO

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